Due to the environmental damage which has been inflicted on the planet as a result of the burning of fossil fuels, renewable energy has finally begun to be given significant attention, with many projects being developed around solar energy, wind energy, and tidal power. Of these alternative forms of energy, tidal power is arguably the most attractive, given that tidal flows are entirely predictable and constant, unlike wind or solar energy which are relatively intermittent and therefore less dependable.
However, harnessing tidal energy does provide its own challenges, in particular with respect to the installation and maintenance of tidal power generators, for example hydroelectric turbines, which by the very nature of the operation of same must be located in relatively fast flowing tidal currents, and more than likely located on the seabed. In addition, in order to be economically viable these turbines must be built on a large scale. As a result the turbines and associated bases/supports are large and cumbersome components, and require significant heavy lifting and transport equipment in order to achieve deployment. The use of such heavy lifting equipment is normally a hazardous undertaking, and is rendered even more dangerous when this equipment is operated at sea under difficult and unsteady conditions. In addition, most installations of such tidal generating equipment consists of the fixing of one or more piles into the seabed as a first phase of the installation, and then as a second phase installing one or more turbines onto the pile(s). The sinking of a pile into the seabed in an area of high tidal flow is considerably problematic and generally a dangerous operation. In addition, significant drilling and piling equipment must be transported to and operated at the site of installation, significantly increasing the complexity and cost of the operation.
The installation process is further complicated by an increasing shortage in the market of suitable vessels and equipment to perform such drilling work and the extreme danger of engaging divers in high tidal flow sites.
As mentioned above, working at sea with such large and heavy equipment is a dangerous and time consuming operation, and anything that can be done to simplify this task and/or decrease the time taken is of great benefit.
The present invention has therefore been developed with a view to simplifying the installation of hydroelectric turbines, which method allows the installation of a hydroelectric turbine which has been pre-installed on a base.